Wetlands Group
Appendix A: Sidewalk Boxes
Green areas enclosed by sidewalks often continually flood and most
of the time little or no action is taken to remedy these sites. One
current "solution" to this problem is some PVC pipe running form one side
to the other, with the intent of draining the area. The problem with
these pipes is that they often get clogged up with leaves, therefore not
draining properly, and they must be recessed below the sidewalk which is
not feasible in all affected areas. A solution to this problem is
sidewalk boxes. They are hollow metal boxes with the sides cut out
and the tops with normal sidewalk pebbles like the rest of campus.
Their point is to allow water to flow through to the other side where there
is (hopefully) a drain. When too many leaves accumulate in the boxes,
the top can be taken off and the inside cleaned out fairly easily.
This type of drain has already been implemented around Jones, but we have
not seen it anywhere else on campus.
Sidewalk Box Diagram.
Problem 1: Areas That Don't Drain